Canada and Type 1 Diabetes

About Type 1 diabetes in Canada

Canada – the birthplace of Fredrick Banting and, therefore, insulin. Canada’s population is 36 million people, and the most recent data says that 300,000 of these Canadians live with Type 1 diabetes – around 1% of the population. As with the rest of the world, the incidence of Type 1 is increasing. According to the International Diabetes Foundation, the rate of Type 1 incidence is increasing by 3% annually for children under the age of 14.

Canada is known worldwide for having “free healthcare.” However, the Canadian healthcare system is a little bit more complicated than this. If you have Type 1, physician and specialist visits, hospitalization, and most lab and diagnostics tests are covered. However, different provinces have different laws when it comes to the rest of healthcare coverage because of the way that funding is divvied up. Some provinces will pay for insulin pumps and other diabetes management supplies, but not all. Employers in Canada sometimes offer insurance benefits, and this might include prescriptions.

Personal stories

About Beyond Type 1

Founded in February 2015, Beyond Type 1 creates and funds a portfolio of programs, technologies and innovations that those living with Type 1 diabetes need to manage, live and thrive. Our goal is to highlight the brilliance of those fighting this disease every day while always working toward ensuring a cure is on its way.

By establishing a supportive community via powerful social media, people are connected on a global scale in a new way. Our Instagram campaign “Living Beyond,” showcases the age, range and variance of those living their best life with T1D, and our website and social media platforms provide education and support.

High profile collaborations and carefully curated special events will provide education and awareness, affording a greater capacity for strategic fundraising. Because our Founders + Founding Friends pay all operational and fundraising expenses, 100% of every dollar raised directly supports the most promising global efforts and programs working to educate, advocate and cure Type 1 diabetes.

We aim to be provocative, inclusive and disruptive: putting a face on this disease, clearing up misunderstandings about who is affected by T1D and eradicating the stigma that comes from living with a chronic disease. We recognize there is a different narrative to be told: that of a strong empowered community living a powerful life beyond the diagnosis. We also recognize a future free of T1D is possible and we are here to make certain that future materializes. We are here to disrupt diabetes.